They'd lived in an 1883 Victorian in the Southern city noted for its rich architectural charm and longed for clean lines, open spaces and enough room for home offices for each.

Stumpf owns a public-relations firm that specializes in architecture and design, and Piralla, a graduate of the Savannah College of Art and Design, is a graphic artist and creative director for Stumpf's business.

They had nearly lost hope of finding a home when they walked into a flat-roofed, four-bedroom ranch with a ramshackle pool house in the backyard.

There it was.

A nearly flawless 50-plus-year-old Midcentury Modern beauty that looked as if its design came from the hand of Phoenix architectural legends Al Beadle or Ralph Haver.

"We couldn't believe it," said Stumpf.

They walked through the home dumbfounded that it had not been ruined in remodeling. Everything was original from the beamed ceiling, living-room fireplace and maple-bordered kitchen countertop to the stainless-steel Roper cooktop and range hood and horizontal redwood tongue-and-groove kitchen cabinets.

"It was classic, timeless," Stumpf said.

The couple consulted with [Merz] Project and Verge Design Build architects to update the kitchen, add a counter in the laundry room, remodel the bathrooms and turn the pool house into an energy-efficient office/studio.

The home is one of 20 finalists in "Dwell" magazine's Houses We Love contest. The winner will be announced June 27.

Stumpf became obsessed with finding out who built and designed the home. Its design was functional, thoughtful and aesthetically pleasing down to the angled entry way, its open shelves and the perfectly-size redwood shelves in the pantry/laundry room.

"This home has no sibling anywhere," Stumpf said. She scoured the city looking for duplicates, interviewed neighbors in the north-central Phoenix neighborhood and researched public records looking for the builder and architect.

"The builder had picked the best features (of the time) and put them together," she said.

"I could never find out who built it. It drove me nuts not to know," she said.

Through serendipity she found her answer.

The late Valley homebuilder and developer Donald Green built the home in the late '50s for his wife, Marian, and their two children.

"His wife was born in Montana to European immigrants, and (she) loved open spaces and clean lines," Stumpf explained.

Green's wife wanted the kitchen, dining and living room opened to each other to give this space a sense of flow and to accommodate the family's lifestyle.

"She and her husband took the best of modern design and architecture and custom built the home in a timeless Midcentury Modern style," Stumpf said.

The couple credit the Greens with the home's sensibilities that are so attuned to their own.

"I still have not found what architect, if any, was directly involved," Stumpf said.